This section of the children's page of the United Nations Environmental Programme contains essays, poems, and art by young people from around the globe, with a focus on environmental preservation. In the 'Our Earth' section are works about pollution and problems with deforestation, biodiversity, and urbanization. The second section, 'Our Future', concentrates on what the future holds if no actions ... Full description.

This activity is designed to make students aware of just how much clean fresh water is wasted while waiting for the water to become warm in our spigots. They will make predictions of the amount of time and the quantity of water wasted, collect data for the kitchen and bathroom sinks, and calculate the class average of time and water wasted per sink. They are then introduced to the concept of projections, ... Full description.

This demonstration is designed to demonstrate the procedures that municipal water plants use to purify water for drinking. Students will discover that water treatment plants typically clean water by taking it through the processes of aeration, coagulation, sedimentation, filtration, and disinfection. They also learn that water in lakes, rivers, and swamps often contains impurities that make it look ... Full description.

This interactive, animated graphic helps explain the water cycle to younger students. The animation, with sound, explains the various parts of the water cycle and show how water moves from one part to another. Full description.

Younger students can visit the United States Forest Service's mascots Smokey Bear and Woodsy Owl. Smokey Bear helps create and maintain awareness of the need to prevent unplanned, human-caused wildland fires. Woodsy Owl has been America's environmental champion since 1970, and is most recognized for his wise request, "Give a hoot. Don't pollute." A link is provided to the USDA's Kids Page which provides ... Full description.

Younger students can access information that will help them become more concerned about water conservation. After an introduction explaining the world-wide water problem, there is a chart that gives seven water conservation tips, one for each day of the week. Tips include such items as keeping a pitcher of water in the refrigerator, turning the water off when brushing teeth, and checking for leaks ... Full description.

This basic information about groundwater describes how it is used, how it gets into the ground (infiltration), and how it is able to move underground. The site describes the saturated zone and the top of this zone, which is called the water table. An aquifer is described, along with the role of groundwater in the water cycle. There is a section about groundwater contamination and a section that suggests ... Full description.

The characters in this story learn what a Superfund site is, how it became contaminated, and how it will be cleaned up. In the course of the story, they perform an experiment that demonstrates what happened at the Superfund site, which was the contamination of the groundwater from the leaching of the tailings at an old silver mine. The experiment also illustrates the pump and treat method of restoring ... Full description.

This activity will help students to identify ways in which water is used, determine how much water families use each day, recognize the importance of conserving water, and determine ways in which water can be conserved. The activity revolves around a simulated mystery in which the number of renters living in an apartment is determined by water usage. It is designed to lead students to recognize their ... Full description.

Migratory birds use different areas of North America to stop along their path of migration from north to south. Many birds travel the same paths each year and use landmarks to identify areas where they stopped previously. As the human population expands and more natural habitats are replaced by developed areas, the migratory birds have a difficult time finding safe, inhabitable areas. This lesson ... Full description.